Shirley Kahn
There’s no better way to close out the month of May than with a very special Community Spotlight feature. We’re pleased to honor Mrs. Shirley Kahn, the mother of our Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board, Danny Kahn, in advance of her 100th birthday in June. We had the pleasure of speaking with Shirley about her life and her own unique connection to summer camp.
Shirley was born and raised in the Dorchester-Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. As the middle child and only daughter, Shirley says she grew up with the protection of her brothers but quickly found her way to the local girl’s club where she got involved in excursions to local museums and other outings. As a child, Shirley got involved in the arts, taking piano lessons and studying ballet. In fact, Shirley studied at the New York School of Ballet for a brief period as a teenager. Reflecting on her childhood, Shirley shared a tribute to her mother who, as Shirley says, “had a feeling for the arts and felt that her only daughter should have all the advantages. She wanted to get her daughter out of the traditional roles” from that time period. Speaking fondly of her mother’s own artistic talent and connections, Shirley recalled how after immigrating from Europe as a child, her mother met and kept in touch with an arts-oriented couple, the Rabinowitz’s. As their respective families grew, the Rabinowitz’s had a son Jerome, who would go on to become Jerome Robbins, the award-winning dancer, choreographer, and director behind West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, among others. Shirley recalls how her family got tickets to Robbins’ various shows over the years. In 1980 she finally met him, at a revival of West Side Story in Miami.
Over the years, Shirley became actively involved in various community groups and arts organizations in Boston and in Newton, MA where she grew her own family. In addition to marrying her husband, David, and having two sons, Jack and Danny, Shirley taught ballet classes at a local studio space, got involved with Hebrew College in Boston, and eventually became the president of the local Hadassah chapter. She even worked on a family friend’s campaign for state government!
It comes as no surprise that Shirley’s son, Danny, helped start Beam Camp back in 2004 once you hear about her own rich connection to summer camps growing up. While she was never a camper herself, Shirley speaks fondly of her time as a counselor and dance instructor at an arts camp for girls on the border of New Hampshire and Maine. Shirley fondly remembers one summer at camp when one of her campers kept suggesting Shirley meet her uncle. After some prodding, Shirley decided to go along with it and wound up meeting her future husband, David.
Later on, Shirley and her family were active in supporting a Jewish summer camp called Camp Yavneh - located only 15 miles from Beam Camp’s current location in Strafford, NH. In addition to sending both of her children, Shirley was involved in the women’s group that helped fundraise and support Camp Yavneh’s needs.
As the Beam Camp dream emerged, Shirley helped connect Danny and his co-founder, Brian, to staff at Camp Yavneh, connections that eventually led to the team who helped renovate and build new structures at Beam Camp. Speaking of his mother’s involvement over the years, Danny says “she has supported Beam from the very beginning…she enthusiastically followed every step of our expansion and development of Beam Center in Brooklyn and throughout New York City. [She’s] always been a loyal supporter.”
Shirley has lived in southern Florida for roughly 20 years and spent time volunteering in the community there as well, including serving as a docent at the Jewish Museum of Florida. She is currently preparing to celebrate her 100th birthday on June 16. Sharing some of the things she’s learned over the years, Shirley speaks fondly of her many travels overseas, says that her favorite years were those spent as a wife and raising children, and claims that the secret to living a long life is staying fit - which she achieved mainly through dance-related exercise. When asked to share her best piece of advice, Shirley says “just be happy! Be involved with your interests and be fortunate that you’re healthy.”
What an honor to help Shirley celebrate her 100th birthday and for her to be a part of the Beam Center community! Happy early birthday, Shirley, and thank you!
Leave Shirley a birthday message in the comments below…